Visa’s plans to acquire financial technology startup Plaid Inc. were thwarted yesterday when the US Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit. The DOJ contends that Plaid, that powers Paypal’s Venmo and other payment apps, competes with Visa, and that the $5.3 billion acquisition would create a monopoly in online debit leading to higher prices and discouraging industry innovation. CardLinx Insight:...

US Retail Sales Jump In June (But It Could Be the Last Increase for Some Time) Retail sales were up in May and June as economies reopened. A better-than-expected 7.5% jump in June, following a record-breaking 18.2% increase in sales in May, surpassed economists’ predictions. The rebound occurred after businesses reopened and pent-up demand for retail goods and services came...